Originally Posted by viper_04649
Ok, so i am in my second year in college in Boston. And I have decided that i need / want to get a fixie. I am on a very tight buget, so keep that in mind. I want the bike to get to classes and to just plain get around the city (and maybe get in shape).
First, my father has 2 or 3 old road bikes (which i should be getting specs on them tomorrow) which he would give me. I am guessing that they are pretty heavy. One is prob 15 years old and never ridden, and the other(s) are prob around 30+ years old. second, i am 5' 11 3/4" tall and have an inseam around 83 cm (33").
So, will one of the *free bikes from my dad work as a conversion bike, or should i get a different used bike? What size should frame should i shoot to get?
Another thing i have heard is since the boston roads are so bad, i need to get heavtier tires...is that true?
(p.s. this is my first post!)
if you're looking to keep it on the cheap, you might want to consider doing a single speed to start and going fixed at a later time - it's hard to keep it safe if you're on a really tight budget with fixed.
if you are determined to go the fixed route though, you'll need at least a new rear wheel with a cog and lockring, and if the original cranks are cottered, a new bottom bracket, crank set, and chainring. in my opinion, it's not worth your trouble if it has a one-piece crank. make sure the bike has suitably long horizontal dropouts before you invest in anything, and no matter what, expect it to turn into a money-pit. if this sounds confusing, check out
http://sheldonbrown.com/ - everything you could ever want to know on the subject.
there are a lot of other boston riders on these forums, so if you want advice on where to pick things up for the best prices, there's plenty of opinions to go around.
good luck, be sure to keep us updated on your project, and have fun!
ps. where do you go to school?